RACE HIGHLIGHTS | Elite Women 2025 UCI XCO World Cup – Round 6 Pal Arinsal 🇦🇩

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Ladies, watch the lights. High pressure, high altitude off the start line. Bit of a fumble from Jen Jackson. Gets swallowed up by the pack. Meanwhile, it’s a good start for Rona Blinger on the right hand side for Li Factory Racing as she swings around the right hand corner first. L the nest got off well as well but P Peterson is getting swallowed up by the traffic ollie. Yeah, I think it was Jen Jackson bad start missed a pedal but she’s recovered really quick but on that corner just taking the front off by Peter and she’s a bit far back at the moment and look at this long drag up the hill at 1900 m above sea level. Torturous start here Impal and Dora Isa Short hitting the front for the Brit but it’s disgustful with Isa Short who is out the front. Isa Short having an absolutely stellar start here in Andor. Jenny Risitz the Swedish national champion a bit further. Ether Short like a rocket has gone off the front of this race. She’s disappearing on the molly and this will send alarm bells ringing in the park behind her. No one saw this coming. So short seventh in Le Gang. She nerves the climb, likes the altitude at career best for 14th in the short track, but there’s leading world cup on struggle to adapt. Some riders just they just want a bike race. So not too worried. It’s real hit and miss. I empathize. Rona Blurter leads the way ahead of Sammy Maxwell. Blurtinger goes down though. Loose the front end. And now Sammy Maxwell has been collected by that crash trying to get back in their pedals. And now I short can come back into things. We have seen that rightander take down some of the biggest names over the years. And Palaron Salon. What’s your reading? How the tracks looking? We had a lot of rain over the last couple of evenings, but looking pretty tacky to me. I mean, it was so dry when we first got here and it it the dust will soak up and the trees will soak up a lot of the rain that we’ve had a bit of rain loads, but you’ll just get little patches and we saw that corner hasn’t quite dried out and just took out Roger Blocking. You land a net up into third place and riding with some intent here. Yeah. And a winner up in in this high altitude and Pandora previously. So, we just carry that energy forward. broken shot. You can’t really see it. Peterson on her way up in the second 11 seconds back. Look at this rock section. Oh, it’s super gnarly down here. This inside line is so difficult to get onto. And again, we had UCI cross countrys here last season and I remember that sector. It’s all about that entry, isn’t it? It’s you can get the bike stalled. You can sort of all of a sudden come to a halt and you’re clipped in on the pedals. You can very very easy to have a crash and there’s three lines. None of them are nice but the wind side line which is considerably faster so difficult to get onto. It’s all chunky isn’t it? There isn’t an obvious right line on as you say. We saw Sammy Maxwell just as he dripped in just getting caught up. Here we go. Eie Richards going down in the rocks. Puck Peterson gets past her. Richards looks to be okay but behind them chaos reigns. Martina Berta unclips and Lana Lumpt as well. Oh, wa. La compt. Oh, accelerated down to the floor for Lana Lac. And the issue is that the rocks here, they’re they’re gnarly. They’re sharp. There’s loads of them. You know, it’s not something you want to fall on. Maxwell descending really fast today. Yeah, look at Maxwell go. Takes a high line again. Is going to come right back on wheel of your blurtinger. And that is pressure being applied on you as a rider. You’ll hear that bike behind you. Yeah, 16th as well for for Mitt Ber at the moment and moving forward. Yeah, Flirtinger when she came up from the under 23 category was really head and shoulders the best descender amongst that group, but I mean if you’re in with the elites and there Sammy Maxwell has got mechanical problems. It’s a rear wheel change for the UCI Cross Country Olympic World Cup overall points leader. She picked up a puncture somewhere, Ollie. And that has forced the Rock Rider team. The chains off the front ring as well. Oh, it’s all going wrong. Meanwhile, at the front, are we about to see a change of lead? We are. Puck Peterson to the front now. This is looking ominous. Puck Peterson now knows she has a window here where Samara Maxwell is caught in traffic behind her. if she can get clear of Ra Blinger, we could see Puck Peterson go into time trial mode, going for her third UCI cross country Olympic World Cup race in a row. So you’ve got maximum amount of time to make it back up again. But again, back to 33 seconds now for Maxwell behind Peter. So that’s a pretty quick recovery so far. Peterson of Alison Kernik out there on her own at the minute. Ra Blurtling are 12 seconds behind her for live factory racing. Jenny Risfits is in third. 20 seconds back off the lead of this race. So we have seen Puck do this before this season. She doesn’t need riders around her. More than happy to just get into a groove. We saw in Leia Gang memorably. [Music] And meanwhile, meanwhile at the front of the race, Puck Peterson getting held up. Knocked. Oh, just getting stuck the wrong side of that tree. Uncipped both feet. Is it a crash if you’re still holding on the bars behind her though? Samara Maxwell just loses the front wheel right at the bottom of that rock garden. And if you’re going to lose it anywhere in there, but the speed that Maxwell was coming into the top of that. Yeah. Yeah. Kella definitely on the move and super smooth. You know how consistent she is and always a fighter. But 16 seconds though on our timing screens between Puck Peterson and Raa Blurter who is now coming under the attention of Martina Berta and Jenny Risfits. Berta looking like she’s going to try and get past the young Swiss rider here. Obviously Puck just having that little mistake on the descent costing about 10 seconds or so. So not a disaster, but it was more it cost her time as opposed to impact, didn’t it? She just got stuck the wrong side. Lead both feet unclipped. It’s difficult to get things. But I think it might have an impact this next time down. Cross country racers as they all are really, but somebody who really understands the important of aggressive descending as we head in Lorac and Peterson in trouble again. P Peterson off the bike and off the course here in Palar Saland Pandora. Meanwhile, behind her, Martina Berta sneaks through into the lead. Oh, and there’s drama on board that canyon of Puck Peterson and Rona Blinger can’t get past. What is hanging off the bars there? Is that a shifter maybe hanging off? Her bike computer just bounced out. It’s on a tether, but she was trying to put that one back on. Puppet off the bike again. Still not right. Alleandra Keller rolls through. No, as well. Puppy thinking last time had a real big wobble on that descent. And you come in this time, it’s playing on your mind and you’re tighter on the bike. There’s the computer going on. Eevee Richards. Meanwhile, Jurro World Series fact about Martina Ber came from the one and only Enrio Guala watching at home enjoying this one. Enjoying seeing an Italian leading the race here in Andor. And after all the action, we forgot about Sammy Maxwell. Sammy Maxwell. Fifth place now. 21 seconds. Boyed by that short track as we move down to the tech feed zone. Kiara Tyaki for lapier racing. Unity will DNF today. Taki one Italian leaves the race as another leads. Not quite as difficult as the section where we saw puck crash. But this is the other really techy bit. And again, really difficult. No nice line. I think you know it’s going to be close and I think it’s maybe Alisandra Keller likes to go long. This is kind of more of like a diesel engine. I would sit back. Just as I said, I would sit as you say. Berta attacks and just elbows her way past Aleandra Keller. And now is a little gap as they head off the bridge. Meanwhile, what about this for for a ride from Sammy Maxwell on the number one bike? A champions ride if ever seen one. But if I was in a group, well, this is one section where you what you want to lead into that rocky that difficult rocky descent. Real key part. So, what are we looking at now then in terms of how KG this is about to get? I guess it’s going to be a case of who blinks first. Maxwell off the bike and walking up that climb as is better. Oh, Maxwell bobbled off the side. Lractor just couldn’t get back over the saddle which has stayed in the upright position. So, Berta also off that origin. Really difficult. You see the gap now just that one section. RZFz led in first. Maxwell made the mistake and that chain reaction and who better to do it Max common. Look at the smile on his face. Rings the bell. One to go here in Palar in Salandor at the sick round the UCI cross country Olympic World Cup. Holy backs rubbing his accident dissipation beside me. There is going to be fireworks on this last lap. Right then, Rick, place your bets now. Oh, I’m Do you know what? I’m going to go all in on Sammy Maxwell. I think to be what she’s been through to get to this point, why not go for the win? What about you, Berta? Berta, whoever takes this one. It is going to be one of the rides of their career. Maxwell pulls out now puts her nose in the wind and is moving towards the front. Jenny Risitz driving the train at the minute of this climb. And it’s Samra Maxwell who now leads. She’s been down. She’s had mechanical problems, but she is no way out of contention for the win here in Palaron Salandor. And that attack has blown this group apart. Wow, what an attack. [Applause] Maxwell really nicely done down through there. Jenny Rvitz takes this win. She’ll be level with the Swiss cross country legend Barbara Blatter. Five career wins, but starting to stretch slightly. The elastic now. Maxwell is good on that section. She just closed the gap and not quite on the wheel of RZFEDs, but the winner looking likely to come from this pair. Samar Maxwell knows now the job is simple. Stay ahead of Jenny Risford. Simple to say, hard to do. And this is a tough drag all the way up past the four cross. Backed out. Maxwell goes again. Maxwell attacks again up this climb. Now, where is Sammy Maxwell finding these reserves of horsepower? Battered, bloodied, covered in dirt. There are no words for how deep this woman has dug today. Ollie, coming back two crashes, flat tire. Four times she’s had to fight her way back to the front. But you see that the the speed the you know fastest lap of the race for Maxwell. She had the legs today and the skills but even without all the luck. Sally Maxwell looks behind her. Yeah. Kella 14 seconds. RZF’s 20. Better closing on Rides now. He’s going to be out fight for third. Here we go. The band strike up and they strike up for this woman. It’s been machineike. It’s been magnificent. It’s been Maxwell at her very, very best. Samara Maxwell takes the win in Palar and Salandora. What a performance from the Kiwi from the Kapalon fort. Behind her, Allesandra Keller scores another podium in Andor. Jenny Risfit holds on for the third spot on the podium and take nothing away from Martina Berta. The performance of her season so far, but it’s all going to be about this woman in the headlines tomorrow. Redemption for Maxwell coming back after that flap. Great hours for you. Good seal. Pointed out before Samara Maxwell hits the deck. Here’s confirmation of the results. Maxwell in the end by 9 seconds from Alexander Keller. Risfits Bert Coler the top five and it was Richards Grath Blinger Nef Peterson home in 10th. You’re trying to win a World Cup. you’ve got to attack. No one’s going to let you just have it. Um, what a silly question. No. Um, it was just all out. I felt strong. I just kept making silly mistakes on the downhills and I just realized I needed a bit of room for myself to take my own lines. And then I I told myself it’s at altitude. If you attack up that first climb, you’re going to be out of it by the time you get to the back. Um, because I learned that the hard way last year. So I waited until the that climb and man that was still still borderline too soon because rolling around the back there I was saying to Steph even just not pedaling my whole body was just screaming. You’ll see me just like drooling and I’m like riding through there and my team man just like enjoy it. And I’m like I can’t like even if I just stop pedling right now I’ll be in pain. Sammy Maxwell for Dapan Ford takes the win in and Pandora the sixth round of the season. Maxwell and his [Music] the points are left looking like this. Samara Maxwell now leads the way as we head into the mid-season break by 445 points. Jenny Rvitz is in third behind Nicole Kohler. Alisandra Keller up into fourth. Peterson in fifth. Jen Jackson, Eevee Richards, Kendis Le, Monet Valner, Nina Graph up into 10. He landed nef in 11th ahead of Tamara Vidman Iris Digger missing in action today. 13th then Fry Blanc Lumpt Urban Bomb Fchini and Blurter 20th and 21st